February 3, 2026

“3b. Question of approving contract No. PW/25-17-B "Amory Playground - Field House Renovations" with Northern Contracting Corp., Canton, MA. in the amount of $391,100.00 Approved Aye: Bernard Greene, John VanScoyoc, Paul Warren, David Pearlman, Michael Rubenstein.”

Read it in the official minutes, page 2 (PDF)

“3c. Acceptance of $1,500.00 in Grant funding from the Brookline Community Foundation for the Annual Eid Event to be held in June 2026. The grant funds from the Brookline Community Foundation will be used to cover expenses for the cultural event. Approved Aye: Bernard Greene, John VanScoyoc, Paul Warren, David Pearlman, Michael Rubenstein.”

Read it in the official minutes, page 2 (PDF)

“2. FFY23 Community Emergency Response - Policy Builders software services 2/1/2026 to 6/30/2026 in the amount of $7,708.30 to support digital, searchable operational policies and standard operating procedures for the Brookline Fire Dept. / Office of Emergency Management. Approved Aye: Bernard Greene, John VanScoyoc, Paul Warren, David Pearlman, Michael Rubenstein.”

Read it in the official minutes, page 2 (PDF)

“3. FFY24 Community Emergency Response - Policy Builders software services 7/1/2026 to 1/31/2027 in the amount of $10,791.70 to support digital, searchable operational policies and standard operating procedures for the Brookline Fire Dept. / Office of Emergency Management. Approved Aye: Bernard Greene, John VanScoyoc, Paul Warren, David Pearlman, Michael Rubenstein.”

Read it in the official minutes, page 2 (PDF)

“3e. Question of approving an Authorization to Hire request from the Town Clerk: Part-time Senior Clerk Typist (C-6) Approved Aye: Bernard Greene, John VanScoyoc, Paul Warren, David Pearlman, Michael Rubenstein.”

Read it in the official minutes, page 2 (PDF)

“3f. Proclamation recognizing Black History Month, 2026. Chair Greene read the proclamation. PROCLAMATION OF THE BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS SELECT BOARD RECOGNIZING FEBRUARY 2026 AS NATIONAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH WHEREAS the Brookline Select Board believes that there is no accurate American history that does not include the history of all Americans, including Black Americans, and that teaches the reality of the intertwined history and destiny of all Americans; and WHEREAS the teaching of American history has often failed to include or has erased the history, culture, and contributions of Black Americans; and WHEREAS such erasures can pose a grave danger to the physical and psychological health and well-being of Black Americans when they are told that they have no history and have made no positive contributions to American or world history and when the wider society believes such untruths; and WHEREAS today under the current administration in Washington, that danger is being exacerbated by a systematic effort to erase references to the history and achievements of Black Americans from public places; and WHEREAS such erasure includes removing historical items from the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, D.C., including the National Museum of African American History, erasing references to slavery and other historical facts from National Park Service sites, and petty insults of Black Americans, such as eliminating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the days that access to National Parks are free; and WHEREAS such erasure includes attacking efforts to remedy past discrimination by attempting to ban references and initiatives for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in American cultural, educational, governmental, and business institutions, including purging National Park Service gift shops of supposedly DEI-related merchandise, and even banning words that positively describe Black Americans and other Americans and that are supportive of America's diversity; and WHEREAS such erasure has in the history of America been the precursor to waves of White-supremacist violence, anti-Black riots and massacres, resulting in death and widespread destruction of Black communities in many parts of the country; and WHEREAS one of the many tools available to resist such attacks against Black Americans is National Black History Month, which recognizes and pays tribute to the contributions that Black Americans have made to American history by their struggles for freedom and equality and provides morale boosting lessons of past struggles for equality and the successes that they achieved; and WHEREAS the history of Black History Month began when historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926 organized historians and others through the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which he founded in 1915, to encourage the teaching of Black history in the public schools and to designate a time, initially called Negro History Week, to educate people about Black history and culture as a critical component of the advancement of Blacks in America; and WHEREAS this year is the Centennial anniversary of the founding of what is now Black History Month, which for one-hundred years has celebrated Black History and has provided examples and guides on how to resist and prevail against governmental and non-governmental sponsored erasure and re-writing of history and the hostile actions that follow an erasure of a people's history; and WHEREAS this year is also the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a document that includes the historically powerful and currently relevant words "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," which should be seen as one of the many reasons to celebrate an accurate history of Black Americans as an indispensable part of an accurate and useful American history; and WHEREAS each February the Association for the Study of African American Life and History designates a new theme for Black History Month in keeping with the practice of Carter G. Woodson and the theme for 2026 is "A Century of Black History Commemorations," highlighting a century of intentional efforts to study, preserve, and celebrate the history, culture, and contributions of people of African descent in America and around the globe..”

Read it in the official minutes, page 3 (PDF)